AVOID!! Firestone tire stores

I had a brake failure on my wife 2001 Buick Regal. a simle brake line blew. I limped the car to the closest shop which happened to be a Firestone store. Firestone does do full service so i knew it would be taken care of and i have had good experiences with them in the past when buying my faorite brand of tires.
I got a quote for $330 for the brake line to be replaced (it was from the ABS module to the rear of the car) it is Cold here in MN and i was happy to not have to do the work in the snow bank. So i had NO problem with that price at all.
After 2 days at the shop with them I got a call saying that the rear brake bleeders were frozen and there was nothing they could do they were going to have to change the calipers. Personally i would have tried a little harder but this is a car that we plan to keep for a LONG time, so i asked what the total bill would be. he said $827 total.. WHAT is exatly what i said i wanted to know exactly where the break down was. So he told me that the calipers were $142 a piece. I looked at Advanceauto.com in my office to check his prices which is where this particular Firestone store got its parts from. It was $52 each for the rear calipers. So i told him this and he proptly told me he would call me back. Also i argued that it didnt take 1.5hrs to change each caliper. So he called me back nearly 30 min later. His total price was $70 a caliper, and 30min a side for the replacement. really i was happy with this since once again i didnt have to do it. otherwise i would have gone and got my car trailer and pulled it home and dealt with it. So all said and done out the door it was supposed to cost $568 taxes etc.. Which i was once again fine with since i didnt have to mess with it.
I showed up the following day to pick it up and was given a total of $627. I asked why the price was different and got a deer in the headlight look and told cuz "he didnt include shop supplies, or tax" well there is no tax on labor here, and he told me all done was that price. i argued a little but got nowhere. (mind you i have bought 10 or more sets of tires and had them do a lot of work for me in the last 8 years) they just didnt care nor try to even explain. So i paid and left, and vowed that i would sit down and be sure to tell everyone that i could about this poor treatment. Since i usually work on my own cars i know roughly what it costs, and with out labor i would have been good to go with less than $200 in parts. So Buyer Beware and AVOID Firestone stores due to unfair and hidden tactics to just get more money!

Well once again it proves that you can save money by having knowledge going in. I'm surprised there are calipers anywhere in the country that are $52. each,, so well done there Mike.
As far as "hidden tactics"... what I see is that they just flat out lied, or didn't keep their word. Both are equally pathetic in my humble opinion. I would write a letter to the editor of your hometown newspaper if you want to get more coverage & really lay these mutts in the weeds.

Mike,
Is Firestone like GM corporate where that can't tell the dealerships what to do as far as customer complaints, or do they have sway over the individual Firestone stores?
If they do, I'd write them (F.C.) a letter & they might come down on your side & you could get a little $$$ back..

I've had good and bad experiences with Firestone over the years.
One time while I was deployed the wifes car broke down and a local Firestone shop owner in Marietta, Ga. went out of his way to help my wife get the car to the shop then drove her 25 miles to the base where I had left my truck when I deployed. A few days later when the car was fixed he had one of his mechanics deliver it to the house so she wouldnt have to worry about getting a ride to the shop.
But on the other hand a Firestone shop in North Carolina took 3 days to replace a starter, tore a hole in the drivers seat, put a dent in the quarter panel, and swapped my 2 wk old battery for an old piece of junk.
Complaints meant nothing to them, I even swore out a police report, in the end the best thing I could due was file with the local BBB and walk away.
Just the luck of the draw.

Of course $70 isn't a bad price for a caliper, but since they more or less charged about $100-
Tire stores are famous for ripping folks off-they advertise $60/tire but the actual out the door price is usually about 2X the advertised price. I suspect this rip off lying attitude just spills over to all their transactions-they intend to rip you off-and they do.They wanted to rape you-settled for copping a feel.Left to them ,the original $827 would have been $900+.Imagine what they do to most women or other folks with no mechanical experience? They hold the car hostage, so you have no choice.
Charlie

Yep and the calipers werent bad, it was just the bleeders were "frozen" (normal up here in the rust belt but i knew they werent as bad as they were saying... So they replaced them. I have had both good and bad experiences with the same shop, but will not go to them again, i will try to find another vendor to get my tires from now on as well.
And in Marrietta Ga. if it was the same Firestone store I have had good luck as well as my cousin at that store since he lives there and when i would visit i would usually have them do some work that i didnt have to to do on my truck. But the one in Columbus GA wasnt as good but still better than being lied to...
Hence my AVOID rating since there should be more consistency and better service.

For you guys in the frozen north with the "salt" on the roads & those living in the rust belt, try putting the anti-seize on your bleeder screws. I don't remember the name as the label fell off my can, but it is the silver stuff. Looks like thick liquid silver. The 4wd boys who like to play in the water/mud holes & crossing the rivers & creeks use it here & it works great. They also use it on all bolts that are low on the chassis & suspension.

My negative experience with Firestone store.
My mother owned a 99 Cadillac DeVille. Dealer maintained. If they recommended it, she let them change it. She though she could save money by going Firestone.
First they changed the A/C compressor, $850. Then told her that there was a fitting slightly leaking and they wanted another $1300 to change all the O-rings. She refused and told them it worked when she brought it in. She left with her ac system not cooling as well. found out it was under charged.
Second she comes in for an oil change and they tell her the alternator is bad. No symptoms, they just say it is bad. $700 replaced. Back in in 45 minutes with steam coming from engine. They put a screw that was too long in the plastic cover over the radiator and punctured it. They replaced it free of charge.

1 month later I inherit the Cadi. Steam starts whisping from radiator. In check it and the cooling fan is rubbing the lower part of the radiator, I take it in to firestone for warranty work--faulty installation. They order new radiator. later that day I get a call and they claim that the car must have been in a front end collision cause the radiator wont fit and the fans will rub again. they inform me I must pay $450. (cadi never in an accident) I come down to the shop to see, the tech shows me how it wont fit. I notice he has the rubber radiator mounts in the wrong hole. I move them forward 1" to the origional holes and the radiator fits fine. No charge, but they tried to tell me that I had to pay tax on the radiator at $35, it was the law. I told them "We both know that's not true". I paid nothing but what a hassle. Won't recommend them. This was two Firestone stores, one in Albuquerque, and one in Colorado springs.